Letters: Please turn off those idling schoolbuses

WHEN SCHOOL buses idle for longer than a few minutes, there is a potential risk of pollution being spewed around the neighborhood and schools.

This goes for other vehicles or diesel trucks dropping off food for the school cafeteria. For children, health experts state that diesel exhaust presents a serious health concern, especially in asthmatics, and can trigger an attack.

Idling trucks or cars may not seem like a huge concern, but the Environmental Defense Fund states that they put 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 940 tons of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere each year. As a nursing student and health advocate, I would try to cut down on bus emissions or minimize bus idling.

Because of this health threat to children, California has banned idling school buses. The drivers must turn off their engines when they arrive and restart them no earlier than 30 seconds before departing. We have to bring awareness to children, adults, and the school system about the potential hazards of pollution and its long-term effects on our body.

Federal regulations should start cleaning up diesel vehicles and the Environmental Protection Agency should require better control of emissions and production of cleaner fuel. We should start an anti-idling campaign with our government in order to protect everyone's health.

Gianpaolo Capriotti

King of Prussia